Back at It

Family is number one for me. Even though my kids watch TV, they don't use iPads or borrow our phones. We let them run loose. They’re rambunctious, but they’re kids, and that’s what I want for them. Just enjoying the outdoors. Enjoying this. Even the simple things, like jumping over the gates, having fun, being kids.

I think right now it is hard for kids to be resilient and go outdoors because electronics are so widely available. For us, involving kids in sports and outdoors teaches them resilience and to not give up. That is what I hope they are learning from all of this. Just not to give up, and to soldier on.

Unpause

I have been running for a long time, maybe 20 years now, since 2007 or 2008. I always wanted to do triathlon, but then came the kids, and life went a different way for a while. When they were babies, my life was on pause. When they got older, I was able to come back to running and the outdoors again.

Now they can walk, and they are not so reliant on me anymore. My husband takes care of them in the morning, so that’s when I train. Monday is usually swimming, Wednesday is biking, and Friday is a bike to run session. Outside of training and family, I work in operational technology, mostly in cybersecurity for manufacturing plants.

Movement

Last year, I got back at it again, and it sparked what I wasn’t able to do before. It felt like I was finding that part of my life again. When we lived in the Philippines, we lived close to a track. After work, I could do 10K, and that felt easy. But when you move, and then you have work and kids, life gets in the way. It becomes different.

We left the Philippines in 2016. For us, moving was always about motivation. It’s hard to tell someone they can try moving somewhere else, because if it is not their thing, it is not their thing. It depends on the person, their motivation, and how badly they want it.

We knew we wanted to move somewhere. We submitted papers to Canada, then friends in New Zealand invited me to apply to a company so we could all be together there, but there was no headcount on that project. The manager said they could put me in Australia instead, and that’s how we got to Melbourne, and now Perth. Life here is more relaxed and it feels more supportive of family.  

Manila

In Manila, there wasn’t much access to the outdoors. We had the Heroes Bike Trail, but it was very short, and it was really where you could do the most mountain biking. I didn’t really grow up outdoors as a little kid because it wasn’t that safe. My parents didn’t want to buy me a bike, so when I was 12, I would ask to borrow my friends’ bikes. 

One time I was hit by a motorized tricycle, like a tuk tuk, and I think I had a concussion, but I was too afraid to tell my parents. I didn’t want them to know I was in an accident because they would scold me even more. It was just the culture.

That’s probably part of why I wanted something different for my kids. 

Together

The mainstream is more road triathlon. For me, mountain biking is more fun. It’s also the community at XTERRA, and I just love it. My kids love it and look forward to it. They join the kids' races too. I’m so happy they’re at this stage. 

My motivation is that I just want to be healthy. I saw a woman who was 80 plus, and she finished a full distance triathlon. It’s so inspiring to see that. I want to reach that stage too. Seeing people like that keeps me going.

For me, doing this together is about bonding and my kids’ futures. It’s about their athletic ability, but it’s also about giving them something outside, something active, something they can carry with them. Family is number one, and this is how we spend time together. We run, we ride, we go outside, we let them be kids, and we enjoy it together.